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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

well, i did play at an absolutely wonderful wedding this last weekend.. i guess it was on the 14th. I played with this awesome trio of sisters, ages 14, 16 and 17 (?) .. so very very very accomplished.. 2 cellists, a capella singing, a violinist.. they all conducted at times, all played and sang.... just a work of art.

So i played the organ and it was spectacular. anyhoo, it certainly was lots of fun.

I came across this YouTube clip on Facebook, and I don't *think* it's been posted in this thread thus far, but it would be pushing the limits of surfing-the-internet-while-working for me to read all 46 pages of this thread to confirm that.

At any rate, here is a minute long clip of a drummer, with the caption "This is what happens when you drink too much but still think you can play the wedding." It does not show the happy couple's reaction, but I'm guessing the band didn't get much of a tip.

I've been pretty busy with Real Life lately, despite playing less than I used to, and haven't been keeping up with PW.

We were down two singers on our last gig, and invited a female singer some of us used to play with to sit in. She was in good form and provided a nice change of pace from our usual repertoire. One of the songs we played was "Respect".

After the set one couple took a moment to compliment her on her performance, mentioning "Respect" in particular. The woman then added that she noticed that not many people danced during that song. She said sotto voce, "It's not really an Obama crowd here..."

As quiet as it's been, I only feel a little guilty sharing this last performance.

I play with a local wind ensemble and they always program a trombone feature.

This spring it was Frolic for Trombone. I had never heard of it, but apparently it is a staple of the brass band scene, judging from the youtube selections. (very different from the traditional US wind ensemble genre)

Now, trombone is a brass instrument, but they make them out of plastic. There's a new entry called the pBone, which outrages traditionalists and incites all sorts of flame wars.

I don't think you can tell it's not brass. (It's not a perfect performance, it was late in the gig and I had tired chops, but we played with enthusiasm to make up for lack of finesse.)

I bought a pBone when they were first available here in the UK. As a sometime teacher of brass instruments, I'm excited at the idea of a cheap student-grade 'bone that is lightweight and practically indestructable. You can just about guarantee a young player will bruise or dent the slide of a brass 'bone, requiring frequent visits to the repair shop if they are to play with any agility. In this context I find the criticism of the pBone slide rather unfair - it's a bit scratchy, but it's a LOAD better than a bruised brass one! It plays nicely enough and, in a band contest,I think you'd have to listen very hard to criticise the sound. Another point is that aspiring trombonists tend to buy larger bore instruments, maybe perceiving them as more "professional". Playing a smaller bore pBone can be a reminder of the virtues of a less ponderous sound.

The pBone was launched in the UK at a very reasonable 50 GBP. Now it has acquired a distributor the price has risen rather closer to that of an entry-level brass 'bone. A pity.

I enjoyed your performance of "Frolic". Maybe it suffered from being taken at a rather pedestrian tempo? The woodwind section certainly disagreed with the conductor over the pace of some of their interjections!

I enjoyed your performance of "Frolic". Maybe it suffered from being taken at a rather pedestrian tempo? The woodwind section certainly disagreed with the conductor over the pace of some of their interjections!

Sigh. This band is about half adult community members and half students from a two year junior college (they take it as a class for credit.) So membership (and instrumentation) varies from semester to semester. Sometimes we play very well, sometimes we struggle. This year there was no percussion, except for last minute additions who only made the performance.

By the way, the recording was done with a simple Zoom H2, set about halfway back in the audience. No professional microphones nere!

I agree with you about the usefulness of the pBone. My slide is scratchy but certainly better than most student horns - I am appalled by what we make beginners play on. The light weight makes a huge difference. (The Spurling is even better, but now we're talking high dollar slides.)

When a wedding starts to feature trombones, it has crossed over a line. No offense to trombones; I love 'em, but...

Last December 27th I posted a short clip of a trombone trumpet tuba trio I'd written for the Christmas pageant.

The same middle school tuba player wants to play again, so I've just arranged a simple hymn for him. We'll do it in a couple weeks and I'll post the recording, maybe. He's got an walking bass line while I take the melody on the first verse, and he'll do melody while I do some dixieland fills over it second verse. Of course it'll be my bright blue plastic trombone like last time, and his tuba (I just found out NONE of his tuning slides move, not the main one or any of the valve slides - but the trombone is one big tuning slide, I'll just have to match him)

I believe the expression "trombone trumpet tuba trio" is surely unique in all the many centuries of Music. If one added "triple-tongued" in there, it would defy the human mouth. You could take the title in Speech as well as Music; maybe we should just say in Sound of any Description.

This is not intended, by any means, to overlook the timpani and the triangle.

Perhaps Ravel and Vaughn Williams are looking down from Music Heaven, with interest, for so few since their time have dared to tread. But they were nothing, if not musicians who did dare. There is a fairly interesting story about this: http://www.berliozhistoricalbrass.org/35-2_Wint08.pdf

Though I played in a German band a number of years, I've never seen the sheet music for this one, but I play it in the practice room hoping i get the chance someday. Besides playing by ear is always worthwhile.

I thought about trying to work in an overall theme for this one; perhaps Groundhog Day, or some turn on a “moveable feast” or a Yogi Berra quote. But that doesn’t seem to be my strong suit.

Our band is working less these days than we used to, but we still do several gigs a month. A couple of weeks ago we played at The Church Oldies Dance. The word “the” in the previous sentence is not a typo.

Although we have never been to this “venue” before and have never played for this particular chapter of fraternal order, we have played this job hundreds of times. I have come to believe that there is a storage locker somewhere, large enough to store this entire event until it’s time to cart it off to the next date and location. The folding cafeteria tables, the stick-on ’57 Chevys and jukeboxes on the walls, the hanging plastic 45 RPM records, the basketball backboards folded up to the ceiling, the scoreboard with the little round bulbs in it, the sterno cans and foil trays, the “Bring Your Own” drinks, the electrical outlets that can only be found in front of the stage, the harsh glow of classic fluorescent lighting, the pastor’s blessing and, of course, the people.

Predictable as they may be, and as hokey as some of the requested music is, I enjoy these events. The people are invariably well-mannered and appreciative. They are typically “of a certain age”, and don’t go out much; too much fuss, bother and expense presumably. The Church Dance is perfect for them; local, not too late at night, not too costly, relaxed dress code. There’s usually some charity component as well. As one recent host put it, in a Catholic facility, a “50-50” raffle is a legal requirement.

Only a portion of such people dance, but they all applaud. Applause used to be a given, but it has become much less common, especially in clubs. Even when the crowd is convulsed in frenzied, joyous dancing during a tune, at the end most just sit down, or wait for the next number. But The Church Dance isn’t up on the latest social trends. At The Church Dance they applaud. Even this late in my demi-career, I like that.

We played a different sort of gig this past weekend, a "Class of '62" High School Reunion. We've played several of these over the years as well. It was about what you would expect, a couple hundred people in their late sixties (excepting the occasional Class of '87 Second Wife) wearing name tags with their yearbook photos.

There was one memorable moment. I'd like you to picture the scene. 200 68 year-olds to one side, an eight-piece band on the other. The eight of us are all male, the youngest of us is 54 years old. A note is passed to the band, scribbled on a cocktail napkin: "Katy Perry Songs", it said.

Our bandleader said a few words to the crowd about the request , highlighting the age and gender disconnect. He ended by saying, "We don't do Katy Perry". Our drummer, Mr. Malaprop, leaned into his microphone to disagree: "I'd 'do' Katy Perry".

Our bandleader said a few words to the crowd about the request , highlighting the age and gender disconnect. He ended by saying, "We don't do Katy Perry".

A drummer thought that fast? Sorry, I gotta throw the BS flag on that one. Wish it HAD happened, though!!!

Here's a quote you could have used instead:

Quote:

Uh, ma'am, we're the Blues Brothers. We do blues, rhythm & blues, jazz, funk, soul. We can handle rock, pop, country, heavy metal, fusion, hip hop, rap, Motown, operetta, show tunes. In fact, we've even been called upon, on occasion, to do a polka! However CaribbeanKaty Perry is a type of music, I regret to say, which has not been, is simply not, nor will ever be a part of this band's repertoire.

A drummer thought that fast? Sorry, I gotta throw the BS flag on that one. Wish it HAD happened, though!!!

Oh, it happened alright. Our drummer increases his "quip speed" by skipping all the cumbersome mental processes most people employ between the initial germ of thought and the final utterance. Most of us pause for a moment, gauging the appropriateness of the comment to the audience. Not Tommy. He's streamlined, efficient, direct. There's no "filter" to bog down the words on their way out.

At least these days he has to lean into the mike. In times past, he wore a headset mike - a direct thought-link to the audience poised an inch from his lips at all times.

Greetings from Germany, my fine forum friends. It seems you've carried on just fine here without me, but I do owe you an apology for jumping off the wedding ship.

First things first, and then I'll explain my prolonged absence. I've been playing a lot of weddings in the last few months. Brides 'r Us. I refer to the banquet department at the castle as The Bride Squad. I keep threatening to make t-shirts for them that say, "No one in white gets past this door."

Some of the weddings have been just gorgeous, some of them downright silly. Details to follow in future posts. One short story for a wedding ceremony I'm playing on this coming Saturday. The bride (OF COURSE) wants the Forest Gump theme for her aisle march. It's a nice piece, but all I can think of is poor Forest saying, "Stupid is as stupid does." Anyway, the bride is most concerned that her hooped skirt won't fit through the rose arbor and she'll have to go through sideways. Gump meets Scarlet O'Hara. "I may not be a smart man, Miss Scarlet, but I know what love is." The ceremony will also feature the Bach Air on a G String (I know how much you love that, Clef), and the Glasgow Love Theme which has one nice chord in it. Recessional is the Comptine piece from the Amelie movie. They wanted a solo piano version of Ave Maria, but I talked them out of it.

I should add that this particular bride and groom look like they are about 16. I spent the entire Bride Squad conference wanting to tell the groom to pull his pants up and sit up straight. The bride was wearing high-tops. I hope she has different footwear for the Big Day, although high tops with a hooped skirt might be a nice Gaga look.

Guess what? In between weddings this summer I went and played two pieces in concert for Chancellor Merkel. I was onstage for five minutes. There were 1000 people there and I even managed to stay calm (without drugs). Five minutes in the major leagues. It made me realize something, though. If you play weddings, or any kind of steady cocktail gig, everything else seems easy. People sit up, they pay attention, they even applaud when they're supposed to. No one tells you to keep it down, the clipboard babe treats you with respect, you even get a dressing room and cute security guards who make sure no one hassles you. I really didn't play any differently from the way I play on my regular gigs—but because of the context, I got to be a star for five minutes. Angela Merkel even smiled at me. Once. She was wearing a lilac-colored blazer, for those of you who want to know. I took my bow, exited stage left, but what I really wanted to do was shout, "I'M NOT FINISHED YET, I"VE GOT MORE!!" Instead, it was back to the hotel, back to the airport, and back to the wedding reception I was booked to play the next day.

My dad always says that's the beauty of a musician's life—you're a star one minute, a peasant the next. He once played at the White House (with the Mister Rogers Trio) for the Reagns (they played "Nancy with the Laughing Face" but no one recognized it). Anyway, the next night he was playing for a senior citizen's dinner at the Swissvale Moose Club outside of Pittsburgh. He said the Mooses were way more fun than Nancy Reagan.

So. I've got a hundred stories from recent months, and if you'll allow me, I'll start posting them here. Please forgive me for my extended absence—I love this forum and so much enjoy reading about all of your adventures. I can't wait to go back and catch up on everything I've missed. Without going into detail (who, ME? Detail?), I had some health problems earlier in the year—I had been spinning plates for so long that I had a bit of a physical melt down—and I needed to put my health and family back on the front burners. Those of you who are over fifty and parents know exactly what I'm talking about. But I'm back on track, back on the bench, smiling at the brides, and happy to be back in touch with all of you.

Cheers!

_________________________
Robin Meloy Goldsbywww.goldsby.deAuthor of PIANO GIRL: A MemoirRHYTHM: A Novel RMG is a Steinway Artist

I played a cocktail party last night for an investment company that was "auditioning" men and women who were looking for start-up money for their inventions/projects. I spent the entire time at the piano wondering if I should get in line to pitch something to them, but what? Interesting group.

_________________________
Robin Meloy Goldsbywww.goldsby.deAuthor of PIANO GIRL: A MemoirRHYTHM: A Novel RMG is a Steinway Artist

Okay, yesterday's bride went with her Option B wedding dress, the column shaped dress with the fish tail train instead of the hooped skirt (I am amazed that some brides buy TWO wedding dresses). She fit easily through the rose arbor. But it was quite chilly for an outdoor wedding—I had to do meditation exercises to keep my hands warm. The bride's dress was strapless, so I can only imagine how cold she must have been. She was 30 minutes late for the ceremony. I felt bad for the groom and started playing just to get the crowd to chill out (or warm up, since it was already freezing). Anyway, she hadn't gotten cold feet, but her make-up artist had gone to the wrong castle and was extremely late. Stupid is as stupid does.

And speaking of our friend Forest Gump, the groom gave me a box of chocolates as a thank you gift. Since I am on the serious health program here, I almost threw them out, but instead brought them home for the kids, who promptly opened them. Tucked inside was a substantial tip (the money kind, as opposed to, say, the advice kind). Tonight our family of four went out to dinner on the tip from the groom.

Lessons learned:

1. Always take a warm wrap with you if there is any chance you'll be playing outside. Mittens are also good, in case you have to wait. And a fly swatter as well, since those end of summer wasps are both desperate and angry.

2. Learn to play the Forest Gump theme. It is pure gold in the wedding world.

3. Never ever throw out chocolate.

_________________________
Robin Meloy Goldsbywww.goldsby.deAuthor of PIANO GIRL: A MemoirRHYTHM: A Novel RMG is a Steinway Artist

I used to have a button on the console of my vehicle--- handy by my right hand--- which was labeled, "Laser Cannon," and with which many a traffic offender was excited into a cloud of ionized vapor, to trouble my travels no further. I can feel, right through my computer console, that some of you are smiling with satisfaction at the thought (though you may deplore it), and so did I. But in the end, I had to put a stop to using it. It was giving me a very bad attitude on the road, and I found it was not in my best interest.

There have been people whose society I enjoyed, over the years, and yet I had to let them go their way; it was too patent that they were bad company, and were dragging me down with them. It was the Laser Cannon all over again.

Need I say that there have been times, plenty of them, when I realized I was spending far too much time online--- indeed, on this very site--- when I had better things to do. Running the vacuum, cleaning the toilet, feeding the hummingbirds, sitting for meditation, visiting the gym, loading the dishwasher, doing my back exercises, making something for dinner that doesn't come out of the microwave, writing that overdue letter or making that overdue phone call, or reading the book which would do a lot more for me than overlooking the too-often vapid conversations, or blistering firefights, which overdecorate the forum. I'm not referring to this particular thread, of course, for it has been exceptional in every regard. There is no need, either, to tell this crowd that the piano lesson is not going to play itself while I indulge in what I call amusement... in a sense which may be over-broad, even in all generosity.

What I'm trying to say, Robin, is that you have touched on all my favorite excuses, and although I've missed you, I really do understand that there are things which are more important, and outright pressing. If we don't like to indict ourselves even so much, it is a fact that parting is the way of the world, and it is a rare thing to find ourselves in an orbit which does more than intersect someone else's every so often. Blame celestial mechanics--- it is really my favorite excuse--- for all orbiting bodies find the very stuff of space and time morphing right under their feet, and even at our best, none of us can hold someone else's whole interest forever.

There is less wear and tear if we can accept life for what it is, and change for what it is, and make up our mind to be happy about it. Allowing this space for ourselves gives us the truly golden and generous ability to grant it others, as well. We might exist for a great deal longer, in some cases, as the gorgeous butterflies do in someone's prize collection. We might even tell ourselves that the creatures would not have lived for more than a few more days anyway. Yet they do so at the price of being stuck through the thorax with a pin, collected and killed in their very prime. Call me selfish, but I believe I would even prefer to be eaten alive by a bird, or snapped out of the air by a fish--- or even a salamander.

I'm just glad to hear from you again, Robin. Glad you're well, glad you're taking care of the important things, as we all should do and must do. Like that bride, holding up everything so the make-up could be troweled on. It sounded bad at first, until I remembered reading that American Indian braves used to smear themselves with bear grease before going out on the hunt. They said that it protected them, not only from the cold, but from mosquitoes as well. It may seem to be too much to the point, but what I really mean is, that I figure that whatever is supposed to happen, is happening. Even if it's not, far less wear and tear on me.

All the same, Robin: delight. And besides that, thanks to the chocolates we know that the groom is going to be cool, no matter how the bride acts up. What--- am I digging myself in deeper and deeper? Maybe I'd better just stop now.